ruffles and ruffles and more ruffles

For a Relief Society (women's church group) activity, we made a few ruffle fabric projects last month.  I am lucky enough to know some great people with connections, so my neighbor and I went to the super sweet woman's home that owns rufflefabric.com and picked up a bunch of fun ruffle fabric for the ladies in our Relief Society to sew into some fun skirts and dresses.  There were some really fun and beautiful skirts made at the church last week in all colors!  I can't wait for next Sunday to see everyone in their new ruffled digs!

I purchased this little piece, a 12" remnant, for just a couple of dollars.  I was going to make a simple little scarf for my fashionista 11 year old daughter, but decided to try out a little dress pattern I had seen for my 1 year old.

I took this picture last night, after just a half hour of sewing.  I just made two side seams to make a pillowcase shape, a few little armholes and a slit at the front chest, and then split the other end so I had a tube.  I hemmed the armholes and neck slit, then made a casing for a ribbon in the neck.

So this morning after Kenna's bath, I tried it on her again.  I added a thick white ribbon in the neck casing, and cut off a few inches from the bottom because it was way too long.  She kept trying to put the scrap I cut off over her head, so I wrapped it around her head.  She thought that was great.  I think I will make a real actual head piece for her out of the scrap from the bottom of the dress.

I think it turned out pretty cute for just a half hour of sewing and a few dollars for a remnant piece. I made myself a skirt out of gray ruffle fabric yesterday, so she has spent time in the sewing room with me fondling and rolling around in the soft ruffle fabric.  When I put her dress on this morning, she just kept rubbing it with her hands and smiling and dancing.  It made me smile!

Just a close up of the simple little neck casing that the ribbon goes through. 

 I purchased 2 yards of this red ruffle fabric when I was at the ruffle fabric lady's home with intentions to make my three girls matching Christmas dresses.  I wanted to make them something similar to the dress pattern I made for Kenna and this was the perfect opportunity to test it out.  I will do a few things differently, but overall it will be the same dress.  My 8 year old is so excited, and my 11 year old wants to know if she can wear a belt with hers.  Oh boy!  I was going for the 1920s flapper look for the Christmas dresses and a belt will kill that look  But we will work it all out and we will love it!